The XL2 has an almost endless number of imaging adjustments you can make. A beginner might want to start by setting the Gamma and Color Matrix to Cine mode and see what it looks like. A more experience cinematographer might really be able to take advantage of the Knee, Coring and Skin Detail adjustments. In all, you can make fine adjustments to 15 items, which save automatically to three custom presets. Then you can easily recall the presets with the press of a button.

While it might seem like you are only making very minor changes here and there to tweak your image, the results are dramatic and distinctive, but not in a special effects sort of way. Instead, these settings let advanced videographers fundamentally alter the look, feel and quality of their video. Putting it all together - 24p, 16:9 widescreen, Cine Gamma and Color Matrix - and it doesn't feel like television anymore. We also tried out the Film Grain feature, but found that it added too much compression noise to busy areas of the scene, such as in background tree leaves in a gentle breeze.

If that's not enough control for you, Canon is even releasing a software development kit (SDK) that will allow programmers to adjust the behavior of the camera right down to its core, via the FireWire interface. What hardcore professionals will eventually do with the camera and the SDK is just speculation. (Fortunately, the camera is very easy to reset to its default factory settings: just remove both the main battery and the lithium button battery for a few moments.)

If you are shopping for a camera in this class, there are only a few cameras worth considering. The XL2 has only two relative disadvantages when compared to these other Mini DV cameras. First, it is quite a bit larger and heavier. Second, it is more expensive.

As a professional camera, we haven't even covered the entire product. From free-run SMTPE time code to a composite BNC video out connection, this is a professional camera. The beautiful glass and the new CCDs make the XL2 a lovely camera that produces objectively wonderful video. Its flexibility, however, is what makes this a camera for artists as well as for technicians. In our tests, we weren't able to find anything wrong with the Canon camcorder camera, but it was the detailed imaging controls that really released the camera from merely shooting good video and into the realm of cinematography.

D. Eric Franks is Videomaker's Technical Editor.

Format: Mini DV
Lens: F/1.6-3.5; fl=5.4mm to 108mm; 20x optical zoom; 72mm filter diameter, detachable
Image sensor: 3 x 1/3-inch CCD
Gross pixels (per CCD):680K
Video pixels 4:3 (per CCD): 350K
Video pixels 16:9 (per CCD): 350K
Viewfinder/LCD: 2.0-inch color (200K pixels) + magnifier
Focus: auto, manual
Anamorphic 16:9: yes
Image Stabilization: optical
Exposure: auto, manual, presets
Minimum Shutter Speed: 1/24
Maximum Shutter Speed: 1/15,000
Iris: auto, manual
Electronic Gain: -3dB to +18dB
Frame Rate: 60i, 30p, 24p
Neutral Density Filter: yes (2)
Zebra Stripes: yes (80-100% in 5% increments)
White Balance: auto, manual, presets
Audio: 12-bit, 16-bit
Audio Gain: auto, manual
Microphone Input: XLR (x 2) 48V DC phantom power, stereo 1/8-inch stereo mini
Headphone Output: 1/8-inch stereo mini
Inputs: FireWire, S-video, composite
Outputs: FireWire, S-video, composite RCA, composite BNC
Edit Interface: FireWire, LANC
Other features: customizable time code
Dimensions (w x h x d): 8.9 x 8.7 x 19.5 inches (225 x 220 x 496mm)
Weight (body and lens): 7.3 lbs. (3.4Kg)
Horizontal Resolution: 520+ lines
Field of View (4:3): 30 degrees
Field of View (16:9): 40 degrees

• Native 16:9
• Amazingly flexible imaging
• Fine audio inputs, controls

• Relatively large, heavy
• Most expensive cam in class

The Canon XL2 takes the Mini DV format to its artistic limits.

$5,199
Canon
One Canon Plaza
Lake Success, NY 11042
(800) 828-4040 www.usa.canon.com